1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly to a land grid array (LGA) socket having contact-protecting mechanism for electrically connecting an LGA package with a circuit substrate, such as a printed circuit board (PCB).
2. Description of the Prior Art
An integrated circuit package having conductive pads arranged on a bottom surface thereof in an LGA fashion is known as an LGA package. LGA packages have been widely used due to relatively low height and reliable electrical characteristics.
Connectors for removably connecting an LGA package with a PCB are known as LGA sockets. Normally, an LGA socket comprises a socket body, a plurality of contacts received in the socket body, a stiffener attached to the socket body, and a socket plate and a load lever pivotally attached to opposite ends of the stiffener respectively. The socket plate and the load lever can rotate relative to the stiffener to jointly hold the LGA package on the LGA socket or release the LGA package from the LGA socket.
Turning to FIGS. 9 and 10, there is shown a conventional LGA socket 8 comprising a socket body 82, a plurality of contacts 81 received in the socket body 82, a stiffener 83 attached to the socket body 82, and a load lever 86 and a socket plate 84 pivotally assembled to opposite ends of the stiffener 83, respectively. When the contact 81 is correspondingly accommodated in the socket body 82, spring arm 88 of the contact 81 protrudes from an upper surface of the socket body 82, to resiliently and electrically register with a corresponding conductive pad (not shown) arranged on a bottom surface of an LGA package 100.
In operation, prior to rotating the socket plate 84 onto a top surface of the LGA package 100, the LGA package 100 is appropriately set on the socket body 82 with the conductive pads thereof mating with corresponding spring arms 88 of the contacts 81. A driving arm 85 of the load lever 86 is urged to drive the LGA package 100 to move downwardly. In a close position, the conductive pads arranged on the LGA package 100 substantially engage with corresponding spring arms of the contacts 81, and electrical connection between the LGA package 100 and a PCB is achieved.
During installation of the LGA package 100, the LGA package 100 need to be vertically set on the socket body 82 so that the conductive pads of the LGA package 100 can appropriately contact with the corresponding spring arms 88 of the contacts 81. Generally, the installation of the LGA package 100 is manually operated and the LGA package 100 is susceptible to be inclined with respect to the socket body 82. As a consequence, the LGA package 100 is liable to contact with some of the spring arms 88 foremost. This tends to cause inadvertent damage to the contacts 81 and impact reliability of the electrical connection between the LGA socket 8 and the PCB. This problem arises particularly in high density and miniaturized LGA socket wherein the contacts are very closely spaced in a compact array.
Hence, it is strongly desired to provide a new LGA socket which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art described immediately above.